One of the newest bands to come out of Portland, Water & Bodies are looking to make an impact in the music world. Despite only forming a few months before, they have already recorded an EP and are hoping it'll lead to great things. Judging from this EP, it will be a while before they make an impact, maybe even longer if they continue to pursue some of the sounds experimented with on here.
The four-piece shifts their sound quite a bit on their debut EP. It starts off with the light-hearted opening track, "Something I Can Grasp" which sounds pretty similar to a lot of indie bands that come out of the Northwest. Then the electronic drumbeats of "Animals" chime in and the band sounds almost completely different now. This piano driven ballad shows a stronger side of Water & Bodies as vocalist Christopher Ruff sounds stellar when combined with the soft, more somber music. Then we get to see a whole other side of the band on the upbeat "Free World." I think the band sounds best here as they know how to write a good hook and nice groove, definitely the strongest track on the EP. "Written and Read" is another ballad, only it is weak compared to "Animals" as the effects added to Ruff's voice don't exactly enhance it. "Naked in the Rain" sounds similar to dozens of other soft-rock songs that are out there. Not necessarily a bad thing, but it's nothing to keep an eye on.
I suppose you could say that this brief EP is a good start to the band's young career. While the majority of the EP is very lackluster and dull, I see a lot of potential in songs like "Free World" and "Animals." The band isn't comfortable with one sound, but I think if they continue with songs like those two then they might be something great when their debut full-length is released. The ballads and the light indie tracks aren't bad, but they aren't anything noteworthy. We'll have to wait until the full-length comes to see if this band is the real deal or not.
